A small group of Ukrainian soldiers who were in the United States before the Russian invasion of Ukraine are being trained in the use of Switchblade killer drones that Washington is supplying to Kyiv, a senior Pentagon official said Wednesday.
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“A small number of Ukrainians were already here in the United States (…) and we took the opportunity to train them for a few days, especially in Switchblade drones, which the Ukrainian army is not familiar with “, said this senior official who requested anonymity.
“It’s a small number, less than a dozen,” he added. “They should return to Ukraine soon. »
The Pentagon official was questioned over remarks made the day before during a congressional hearing by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said that the United States was training Ukrainian soldiers outside Ukraine in the use of weapons. that they provide them.
“Some are trained here in the United States,” added the Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, without further details.
On the ground, all the Russian forces that had been deployed in the Kyiv region have left Ukraine, the senior American official also said on Wednesday. “We estimate that they have completely withdrawn from Kyiv and Cherniguiv,” he said.
Russian bombardment intensified in the south and east, where Russia announced that it intended to focus its efforts, but “we have not seen a tangible influx of forces or resources in the Donbass,” he noted.